Walk the Line
by PentagoetPuffin
Summary: This was my last hope. My Hail Mary. Never in my life did I think that I would end up here, back in Riverdale. I thought that I'd washed my hands of that Snake Pit once and for all but it turns out that Snakes don't shed their skins so easily especially when they're in dire need of sanctuary. WARNING: This work contains scenes depicting domestic violence
1. Prologue: Help Me

I was going to leave a life of hell behind and never look back. I packed a bag and called a cab. My flight out of Denver International Airport left in two hours and when my cab pulled up outside that house of horrors that I'd lived in for five years, suitcase in hand, backpack on my back, my one and only guitar that I got in high school in my other hand, and purse over my shoulder, I ran. I ran from my life and my husband, but most importantly, I ran from the person that I'd become, a shell of my former self.

After I left high school, everything seemed to be going alright, I went to college then to graduate school, I even went so far as to get a PhD. Life was looking up for this small-town girl from the wrong side of the tracks. That was, until I met the man that I would eventually call "my husband."

He was the definition of charismatic. He was the star of his high school football team and even went on to play at a D2 school in Colorado. Not only was he a football player but he also played ice hockey and lacrosse, a three-season athlete. I'd never met someone so wonderful in my life. Our first 2 years dating were electric and invigorating. When we finally got married though, things started to change. He drank more, got angry more, and about 18 months in, he started to—

"We're here, miss, Frontier's East terminal." The taxi driver said. "Do you need help with your bags?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you." I quickly replied as I jumped out of the car and grabbed my suitcase and guitar from the trunk. I tipped the driver and made my way to the check-in counter.

Once through the check-in I made my way through the masses towards the security checkpoint. I was practically on autopilot as I went through security and even on my way to my gate. I found an ATM and decided to empty my bank account. I didn't want bank statements to leave a trail for him to follow. When I finally boarded the plane and took my seat, I sighed with relief. This would be my freedom.

* * *

I landed in Albany, New York, four hours after leaving Denver, and rented a small car, just enough to get me where I was going then I'd return it. Once I was home, I wouldn't need it anymore. But the drive would be long. I needed to make it there in one full trip. Stopping would leave room for my "husband" to find me.


	2. Chapter 1: Hurt

The first thing that I did when I arrived in my hometown was to stop for food at my favourite diner. Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe was the heart of Riverdale and no matter what was going on, Pop's was a haven for all. The food was beyond fantastic, the milkshakes were timeless, and the company, irreplaceable. My friends and I would find ourselves in the booths of Pop's nearly every evening. It was where everyone went on their first date, including me.

As soon as I opened the door, I heard the iconic tinkling of the bell. It sounds stupid when I think about it now, but when I heard that, I felt warm inside. I felt safe. I knew that Pop Tate would do anything to protect the patrons of his diner.

"Hey, what's a girl gotta do to get a cheeseburger, a vanilla shake, and some of those cheese fries with the cheese on the side around here?" I said as I walked up to the counter smiling. It was the first time I'd smiled in a while and it just felt so foreign.

Pop Tate turned around and chuckled. "Well, I'll be! I still remember the only kid that asked for cheese on the side so they could dip their fries in it. Miss Ivers, how have you been?" He came out from behind the counter and gave me a hug. That was foreign too. I hadn't been hugged in years.

I faked a bigger smile. If I wanted to get used to smiling again I'd have to learn to fake it until I made it. "I'm fantastic, Pop. How's the diner?"

"Oh, she's had her ups and downs but we're still going." He smiled more and walked back behind the counter. "Now, your order, for here or to go?"

"Can't stay. I've gotta find a hotel to crash in for the night."

"To go it is. It'll be right up. You can go have a seat in your usual booth."

"Thanks, Pop. I can always count on you." I looked out the window only to see raindrops start to fall in the light of the neon signs that illuminated the exterior of the Chock'lit Shoppe. I gave a small sigh and walked to the left, to the same booth that my friends and I would sit in whenever we'd come to Pop's. Nothing had changed except the clientele. Everyone that was here when I was all had kids and it was _their _ kids who filled the red vinyl booths.

It was then that I heard that bell again. This time though it filled me with dread. I had no idea who would be walking in the door or if they would even notice me. If they did, would they remember me? It was something that I wanted to avoid altogether so I took the hood of my sweatshirt and put it up to cast a shadow over my face. I was beginning to have second thoughts about returning home.

"Welcome back, Sheriff." I heard Pop say as a man in a police uniform walked in with three children. One was in a wheelchair. She had dark fuchsia hair with streaks in a darker shade of purple. Another barely looked as if she was 13 but you could tell that she'd seen too much for any one of her age. The boy, probably a senior in high school and most definitely the first girl's twin, wore a denim shearling jacket, a flannel tied around his waist, and a beanie that looked like a crown. They all looked so much alike. If they were who I thought they were, I had to get out of there immediately. It would be one thing to get recognised by someone that I went to high school with, who barely knew me, but to be recognised by someone who you were probably the closest to in your life, someone who would ask questions, someone who you'd have to lie to…I didn't want to get him involved.

The girl in the wheelchair rolled by me to the booth adjacent to mine. She set herself up at the end of the table and smiled as her siblings sat down with her. Their father was up at the counter talking to Pop Tate. I heard his last words to Pop as he turned and walked towards the booth his children were sitting at. "The usual, Pop." If I didn't recognise his voice right away, I recognised his face as soon as he took off his hat. It was the one person I was so afraid it would be, FP Jones.

I immediately got up keeping my head down, hood up, and arms crossed in front of me as if it would protect me and make me less noticeable. That was my first mistake though. I wasn't watching where I was going and in just a few steps I collided with the man who would come to my rescue in my darkest hour. I just didn't know it yet.

"Whoa, hey, you alright?" A hint of concern could be heard in his voice as he backed up.

"Sorry," I said in haste as I pushed passed him. I made it to the door and looked back at Pop Tate. "Just cancel my order, Pop. I've gotta run." I could hear FP call behind me, wanting me to stop.

I didn't realise how hard it had started to rain until I stepped onto the stairs outside. It was slick and before I was even onto the first step, I slipped and fell down the stairs into a puddle that was forming at the bottom. I didn't move though. I was too tired, too upset to move. I thought that returning to Riverdale would be the best thing for me but now I was starting to second guess my decision even more than before. Things weren't working out how they should at all.

I heard the bell above the door again and immediately I felt my hood leave my head. "Artemis? What the hell are you doing here?" FP asked, his level of concern having grown drastically from just a few seconds ago.

I threw my arms out and pushed him away from me, my brown hair now, fully soaked by the torrential downpour, falling into my eyes. "Get away! Don't come near me! Just stay away!" I screamed.

"Temi, what's going on? What are you doing here?" He got closer to me again, trying to get me to calm down.

Grabbing his shirt in my fists, I looked him straight in the eyes. "Just stay away from me! Forget I was even here! I don't want you caught up in any of this!"

"Caught up in—" It was then that he saw the pure terror in my eyes, the scars on my chin and in my eyebrow, my slightly crooked nose that had been broken a few times. He saw the scar under my eye and the superficial wounds and bruises on my temple and cheekbone. "What happened to you?" His voice was hollow. He wasn't angry. He wasn't concerned. He wasn't disappointed. He wasn't scared. No, this is the way his voice sounded when he was all of those at once.

"Nothing," I said sternly and tried to get away, but he grabbed my chin and turned my head from side to side, taking in every scar. "Get off of me, FP!" I tried to push him away again, but he didn't budge.

"Artemis, who did this to you?"

"None of your business!" I snapped and pulled away. I fell backwards into the puddle, tears still streaming down my face. I was soaked, head to toe, in a place I thought I would be safe, in a place that I thought I'd be able to blend in. I was wrong. I don't think I ever realised how much of a mess I was because of my awful marriage. I should've gone somewhere completely different. I should never have involved anyone in this town.

I felt FP's arms around me, helping me up. He brought me to my feet but it was almost like my body refused to stand on its own like it wanted to just stay in that puddle all night. "Artemis listen to me. Listen to me!" He tried to hold me but I just pounded my fists on his chest weakly. My legs didn't hold me very long. I started to fall back to my knees, but FP just held me and refused to let me go no matter how much I begged and pleaded.

Over my sobs, I heard that bell above the door again. I knew that it had to be his kids standing there because I could hear his voice reverberate in his chest. "Jughead, help me get her up. Tarot, you're driving to the hospital. It's got integrated hand controls, don't worry. I made sure of that. The keys are in the ignition. Jellybelly, go get in the cruiser."

I felt someone else's arms around me, helping me up. I'd cried so hard that I'd given myself a migraine and teetered on the edge of consciousness. By the time I was in the police cruiser, I'd fallen off that edge and into unconsciousness. I was told though that Sheriff FP Jones and his children rushed me to the hospital with sirens blaring and the blue lights flashing. Though, I wouldn't hear of this until the next afternoon when I woke up in a bed at Riverdale General Hospital.


	3. Chapter 2: Like a Soldier

The smell of aged leather, men's deodorant, and whiskey overpowered my senses. I didn't mind though. It was an all too familiar smell and it made me feel safe. Protected. When I woke up, I found myself in a hospital bed with an IV in the back of my hand, wires attached to my chest, and steri-strips on the wounds I'd suffered not 48 hours before my arrival in Riverdale.

I sat up and looked around the room. The afternoon sun shone through the window on my left and by the window was FP. He had changed out of his uniform and into his iconic flannel and Henley tee. How long had he been there? All night? No, he wouldn't stay around for me.

Once he noticed me, he promptly left his chair and came to my side. It was then that I realised why I smelled leather. FP had covered me up with his jacket, his Southside Serpents jacket. He picked up the jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders like a cape. "You wanna explain to me how you got all of these?" He gestured to the x-rays on the light board. There were many places where my bones weren't shaped the right way. The remodelling was more than evident. Anyone, with or without any knowledge of the human skeletal system, could see how broken I was.

"Not really…" I grumbled. And I really didn't. I didn't want to talk about any of it. I wanted to come to Riverdale and pretend like nothing happened, but I couldn't do that now.

He took my hand in his trying to tell me without words that he was here for me and that if I needed anything that he'd be right there by my side. "Artemis, you've gotta tell me. Please."

I pulled my hand back and turned the other way. "I'm clumsy. I'm a klutz. Now just go." I took pause and looked back at him. I saw in his eyes that he knew I was lying. He was, by no means, an idiot. "Just go, FP! Get out of here and forget you ever saw me! Forget I even exist! It'll only cause more trouble if you stay!"

"No. You have to tell me what you're running from and why. I can help you. You've got family here and they'll protect you. The Serpents will protect you. I just need you to tell me why you came back. You said you were leaving this hell hole for good."

"Yeah, well, the hell hole that I was in 2 days ago was worse than this place. And besides, I thought you said the same thing and now look, you're the damn sheriff!"

"I tried to stay away but that didn't work out too well."

I scoffed. Whatever he went through couldn't hold a candle to what I'd suffered. I went through literal hell. I was married to the devil. My life was in shambles because I was too cowardly to run at the first red flags. "You wanna know why I'm back here? It's because I'm scared. I am running from something that you could never /begin/ to fathom." I didn't mean for everything that I was saying to sound hostile, but I was getting aggravated. He was winning and I _hated_ it. I always hated when he won our arguments.

"Try me. You'd be surprised."

Grabbing my IV pole for stability and as to not pull my line out, I walked over to the light board on the opposite wall with the leather jacket still over my shoulders. "This one," I took an Expo Marker and circled a remodelled area on my left radius and ulna. "He threw me down the stairs because he was hungry and drunk, but it was midnight, so I wasn't going to cook anything because I was too tired from cleaning all day." I circled 3 ribs on my right side. "Here, he shoved me into the granite countertops in our house because he dropped something on the floor that I'd just cleaned. It didn't matter that _he _dropped something, it was still my fault." I circled yet another spot on my right zygomatic but this one was different. This was a fresh fracture. "And you wanna know what happened here? This was from last week when I asked him if I could go back to work because he made me quit my job 3 years ago." There were more but by the look in FP's eyes, I could tell that I'd got my point across. "So, you wanna know why I'm back? I'm back because I'm trying to get as far away from that horrible man I married! I'm back because I'm scared that he's going to kill me!" I capped the marker and threw it at him, hitting him in the chest. His jacket fell off of my shoulders and hit the floor by my IV pole. "So now you know Jones! Now you know that I'm a schmo! That I married a man who turned out to be the literal devil! That I was an idiot for leaving Riverdale because this is where it got me, beaten and abused!"

The horror in his eyes made me suddenly burst into tears. I'd finally told someone what was happening, correction, what happened to me and it was a weight off of my shoulders, but it also brought new anxieties. I'd just made FP Jones a target and he didn't even know it yet. I didn't just have to fear my own safety. I had to fear for the safety of his family as well.

As soon as I hit the floor, FP was at my side placing his jacket around me again and helping me back to my bed. He sat with me and held my hand as I just cried. Everything that I was suppressing for nearly 5 years was just now surfacing. I pulled that leather jacket tighter around me as if it would protect me from everything in the world.

"What is his name?" FP asked coldly as he pushed my short bangs out of my eyes.

I just shook my head and cried harder. When he asked again, I found myself answering before my brain had time to stop my mouth. "Drew. His name is Andrew Glasser."

He just nodded and moved me over in the bed so that he could lay beside me. My head was on his chest and his arms were wrapped tightly around me as I continued to cry. It would be a long time before I'd stop, only because I'd wear myself out again and fall asleep. He knew that but he didn't care. He was angry and I could feel it. He was also worried. I could feel that too. He was worried about what would happen if Drew found out that I was back here in Riverdale. But another thought that crossed his mind briefly was murder. He would have the opportunity to kill Drew Glasser, his best friend's abuser, the man that destroyed the already fractured soul of the girl he once loved. But the thought went away as quickly as it came. There were better options. Options that didn't involve more jail time for FP.


	4. Chapter 3: I Still Miss Someone

He was asleep when I woke up, my head still resting on his chest. The light was off in the room but the light in the hallway was on for the hospital staff to move about. When I looked around the room, I saw my bags and guitar case sitting by the chair next to the window. Being very careful, I removed my IV lines and the leads connecting me to the monitor with my vital signs. All of the lines on the monitor went flat but thankfully there was no sound.

Once the papers were signed and I was changed into a clean outfit, I gathered my things and walked out of the room. I turned back one last time to see FP Jones still asleep on my hospital bed. It saddened me to have to be the one to walk away this time, but I shouldn't have been there in the first place. The very last thing that I did before leaving that room was fold up FP's jacket and leave it on the bed beside him.

I grabbed the keys to the rental car out of my purse, handed the discharge papers to the night nurse sitting at the main nurse's station, and took the elevator down to the atrium of Riverdale General Hospital. When I got to the parking lot it took me 5 minutes of hitting the lock button on the key fob to find my car. It was all the way in the back of the lot under a streetlight. Trying to hurry myself, I unlocked the little Toyota hatchback and threw my things carelessly in with the exception of my guitar. That, I placed on the top of everything very gingerly. It was the one thing that I would take the best care of no matter where I was or what was going on.

As I opened the driver's side door, I heard a voice call out to me from the dark space between streetlights. "Temi! Artemis, wait!" I knew who it was before I'd even heard his voice. Somehow, FP had woken up and noticed that I was gone. It was obvious where I'd go if my things weren't in the room and neither was I.

"Do you ever give up?" I asked as he walked up to the passenger side of the Toyota. "I mean, I just can't seem to shake you."

"Nope, especially not right now." He rested his arms on the roof of the small car and raised an eyebrow at me. "You wanna tell me why you're in a hurry this time?"

"Look, just leave me alone. You have no idea what you're meddling with. This mess is much bigger than you could ever imagine." I scowled and proceeded to get into my car.

"Siren," He said as he got into the passenger seat. "You can't just run. You're better off staying here than running off to God knows where and being alone. It's hard to believe that being in Riverdale is 'safer' than anywhere else but this time it really is."

"Get out of my car." I paused for a second thinking that I heard him wrong. "Wait, what did you just call me?"

"'Siren.'"

It wasn't his fault. He didn't know and I knew that but before my brain could tell my mouth to stop, I snapped. "Don't ever call me that again. Not _ever_!" I was seething. I'd never wanted to hear that name after I left my first home in Colorado. "You can _never _bring that up _ever_ again."

His look of concern pissed me off even more. "I—."

"Just get out of my car and let me go. Forget you even saw me here. Forget that I even exist. I'm only going to cause more trouble and this town doesn't need more of it." I slammed the car door and fumbled as I tried to put the keys in the ignition.

"There's more that you aren't telling me, isn't there?" He took my hand and grabbed the keys inserting them into the ignition for me. "What else is it, Artemis? What else happened? Whatever it is, I know that I can't fix it, but I can sure as hell make sure that nothing else happens. You _will _be safe in Riverdale. I'll make sure of that."

I took a few deep, shaky breaths as he held my hand in his. I knew that I couldn't hide anything from him. We've always been able to tell what is wrong with the other, our eyes telling each other our entire life story. When I looked back at him, the anger in my face was replaced by shame. "I don't want to be reminded of my past. I don't want to remember my time as a Serpent. It ended badly and…I don't deserve to hold that name, wear that jacket, or even be around The Serpents."

"What are you talking about? When you left, you went to college. You found a life for yourself. There was nothing bad about that. Nothing went wrong."

"You don't understand. I found my way back to a faction of the Serpents in Colorado Springs. I was with them for a few years and when I met Drew…" I paused for another breath, my emotions starting to get the better of me which caused my hands to start shaking. FP gripped my hand tighter encouraging me to continue. "When I met Drew, he immediately moved us to Denver so that there would be distance between me and the Springs Serpents. He sold my bike—"

"He sold the Shadow?!" FP interrupted with a hint of horror in his voice.

The "Shadow," as we called it, was my motorcycle. It was a 1949 Vincent Black Shadow that I'd bought cheap at auction and restored myself. It was one of my most prized possessions and if anything were to happen to it, it wouldn't just me who would be devastated. Anyone who knew of that bike would feel a small piece of themselves break inside.

"No, no, she's here in Riverdale. I left the Shadow at my last foster parents' house when I left for school. I didn't want anything to happen to it." I shook my head trying to get myself to continue the story. "But, after he sold my bike, he found my jacket. He found my jacket and one night in the backyard…he burned it in our fire pit." I pretended to fix my glasses to hide the tears that I could feel welling in my eyes. I didn't want to cry again. I was sick of crying.

"Temi, why didn't you just tell me that's why?" He held my hand tighter.

I shook my head and looked him dead in the eyes, mine full of the same sorrow and shame. "Because that's not all. Drew, he's an FBI agent. He's a fed. I have nothing against him, he practically has immunity, and he can track me anywhere I go. This man stripped me of my family, my life, my job, everything and I have nowhere else to go. I have no choice but to be on the lam. Anyone who I interact with is in danger because he will do anything and everything he can to keep me quiet. And now, I've been in the hospital so there's record of me being here in Riverdale."

"Let me worry about that. Let me worry about all of it. If you stay here, I promise to protect you no matter what. You won't have to worry about anything." He was serious. He wasn't going to let a single person that he didn't trust near me.

"I don't want to see you or your family hurt. I don't wanna be the reason that something bad happens in this town."

"Trust me, this town can handle a lot. We haven't completely fallen apart yet. I'm sure we can handle some asshole terrorising someone." He gave a light smile and I returned it weakly.

"You promise that no matter what, no matter when or where, I'll be safe?"

"I will even stay with you if you'd feel safer."

I gave a small chuckle and shake of the head. "Fine, I'll stay but, I don't want to have to live the rest of my life under the supervision of someone. I want him gone. Like…_gone_ gone. I never want to see him again."

"Don't worry about that right now. Let's just go get you to the Five Seasons. I'll take care of everything in the morning. For now, get the hell out of the driver's seat. I'm gonna drive." I didn't have the energy to protest.

"As long as we can get food. I'm starving." I said as we both got out of the car to switch sides.

"I'll stop at Pop's." He smiled.


	5. Chapter 4: The First Time Ever

The woman staring back at me from the mirror was a broken, defeated one. Her olive skin discoloured from bruises, her turquoise eyes hollow and lifeless. She reached for her light brown hair, closely cropped in the back and her bangs slightly longer in the front, remembering a time when it was long and beautiful. She missed it but, for her own safety, she had to wear it short. No one could grab her hair and throw her around if it was short.

I saw myself, my real self, in that mirror. The woman who I was and the woman who I now am. Then, I was full of life, full of love and ambition. Now, I fear for my life, have no more love, and my ambitions have all run dry. I was in a dark, secluded place but, in the distance was a glimmer of hope. That hope was shining so brightly that I almost believed it would rescue me. I didn't want to be alone anymore. I craved the company of another.

"Everything's all set, Temi." I heard FP call out from the other room. He'd brought my bags in from the car. While he continued to talk, I just stood there staring into the mirror, transfixed by my appearance. It took him coming into the bathroom and grabbing my arm to break my trance.

"Temi." He said softly and grabbed my chin turning my face towards his. "Artemis look at me. All of this, it's gonna go away." Gently, he brushed his fingertips over the wound on my temple and the scar above my eye.

I reached up and grabbed his hand. "I know. I just—"

"It's ok. I know. You don't have to tell me again." With my hand in his, he brought me into the bedroom. He had me sit down on the edge of the bed then he went into the sitting room of the hotel suite. When he came back, he had my tweed guitar case in his hand. "I can't believe you still have this. I'd have thought you'd get rid of it after a few years."

"Why would I get rid of it?" I asked softly, my voice not much louder than a whisper. "You worked so hard to get me that. It was the best present anyone had ever gotten me."

With the guitar case open on the bed, he pulled out a 1985 blackburst D'Angelico electric guitar made out of fiddleback maple with a double cutaway. It had been well taken care of over the years. The strings were periodically replaced, the body polished, and the fretboard oiled. It looked almost brand new but, in reality, that guitar had seen thousands of hours of practice, hundreds of songs, and many midnight duets by Sweetwater River.

Once tuned, FP strummed a few chords then handed it to me. "That's one thing I missed, hearing you play."

I grabbed the neck of the guitar and set it across my knee. "I…I haven't played in years." I stammered.

Fumbling, I managed to string a few chords together to one of my favourite songs, "The First Time Ever…". Every time I was with him felt like the first time for something but this time, it really was. It was the first time in so long that I'd felt genuine love towards anyone but I'm glad that it was him that I was truly loving all over again.

I looked over at him and smiled softly moving my hair out of my face. "Ya know, I thought about you a lot over the years. I missed my best friend." My voice was still barely above a whisper.

"I missed you too, Artemis." He said is the same soft tone. "But I'm glad you haven't been here until now. Things around Riverdale have been…messy. There are things that I'm glad you weren't here for."

I set my guitar back in the case and put the rosewood pick in my pocket. "This place is like Hotel California. If you're from here, you never leave here for good. You always come back. I mean, look at us. We both left but life outside of Riverdale, it was too 'normal.' We had nothing out there but here, we have everything. The good, the bad, and everything in between. We face it head on and we face it together."

"How do you do it?" He asked with a smirk. "How do you make everything sound so poetic?"

I just shrugged. "Maybe it's just how you hear it. It's not like I try." The clock on the bedside table changed over to read "Fri 12:00am" and I realised only then how late it really was. Slowly, I latched my guitar case and set it on the floor at the end of the bed. "You should probably get some sleep. You look like you haven't really slept in a while."

"I haven't. I've been too worried about you."

I just shook my head. We'd been best friends almost our entire lives and I don't think that I can ever remember a time when he wouldn't fret over me. Every single one of my high school hockey games up through my junior year, he was sitting right next to the bench to make sure that I got off the ice in one piece. In turn, I'd do the same at his football games. Whenever I'd ride my dirt bike through Foxwood Forest as a kid, he'd follow me to make sure that I didn't get lost or hurt. He was always a part of my life no matter what was happening. I just wish that he had been there after high school because then maybe, just maybe, our lives wouldn't have fallen apart the way that they did. Maybe they could've fallen apart together.

"Then you really need to sleep. I'll be fine." I gave a soft smile and pulled the covers back on the bed. "I promise. Now, come on. You really do look dead." He didn't argue. He knew that I was right.

We both settled down for the night under the down comforter, his arm around me and my head resting on his heart just like the past few days. The slow, steady rhythm of his heart was relaxing as I just laid there letting him sleep.


	6. Chapter 5: Ring of Fire

"Jones!" I heard a familiar voice call down the hallway. Before I even turned around, I knew who it was. When I looked behind me, she was right there to throw her arms around my neck before I even had a chance to respond. "Jones, it's so good to see you again! Where the hell have you been all summer?!"

"Hey, Temi." I smiled and hugged her back. "I've been working all summer. I don't even know if I was ever home."

"So, you didn't even think to call to let me know?" She was baiting me into digging my own grave. "I mean, you didn't even know that I went to Canada for two weeks! Something could've happened and you'd be none the wiser!"

"You went to Canada? What the hell for?"

"Hockey training camp! Coach thinks I have a good chance at getting a scholarship for college. This is recruiting year and they want me in top shape, so they sent me to a skills camp at the University of Guelph up in Ontario." I could see how excited she was about it. Playing hockey was a huge part of her life. It was one of the things that couldn't be taken from her when everything else was falling apart around her.

I just smiled and pushed her dark bangs out of her eyes. "What can I do to make up for missing the entire summer?"

Her face flushed the slightest bit as a devilish look shone in her eyes. "Dinner, a movie, and a camping trip to Sweetwater River since you so casually missed our yearly 4th of July trip."

"Alright. Just tell me when to pick you up." It was then that the bell rang signalling the 5 minutes between classes.

"Shit!" She exclaimed and started to run up the hallway. "I'm gonna be late for AP Physics! Dr Murphy's gonna kill me!"

"Hey!" I called after her. "You didn't tell me when to pick you up!"

She turned around, her fishtail braid swinging behind her. "Pick me up at 5 on Friday! I'm over at 32 Deering Street now! Got bumped to a new home!" And with that, she disappeared into the crowd of students hurrying to their classes on the first day.

When Friday night came around, I pulled up to a large, colonial house on Deering Street numbered "32". Artemis was waiting outside by the garage with her black and green dirt bike, helmet, leather jacket, tweed guitar case, and olive drab duffle bag that had once been her father's, an officer in the US Navy. Next to her was a fiery-haired boy of about 12 wearing a blue and gold letterman jacket that was a few sizes too big for him. Artemis started down the driveway and the boy picked up the duffle bag and guitar and brought it down for her.

"I'm sorry! I had to deal with a few things before I could leave." I said as I got out of the truck and opened the tailgate.

"At least you didn't bail." She scoffed playfully.

"Would I do that to you?" I laughed. She just gave me a scowl (this time it wasn't playful) and put her bike in the bed of the truck next to mine.

"How about we make it breakfast at Pop's on Sunday then a matinee at the Bijou after? Tonight, let's just go set up camp." She grabbed the duffle from the boy, threw it in the bed of the truck along with everything else, and smiled at him. "I'll be back on Sunday. Promise to behave for your mother?"

The boy took off the letterman jacket and handed it to Artemis. He nodded vigorously and ran back up the driveway. Once at the top, he turned around to wave and ran inside after Temi returned the gesture.

"Who was that?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"His name's Arthur Donnelley. He's my foster brother." She replied as she put on her blue and gold jacket and climbed into the passenger seat of my truck. "He's shy but he's really sweet."

I got into the driver's seat and turned over the engine. "Seems like the quiet type. I know someone else who was really quiet at first too." I smirked.

"Shut up and drive, asshole!" She barked and hit me in the chest. "Let's go camping."

On the banks of Sweetwater River, in a clearing of trees, I parked the truck and we set up camp. You could see the sunset through the trees on the other side of the river as we pulled the dirt bikes out of the bed of the truck. Artemis threw her duffle into the passenger seat and pulled out blankets while I started a fire by the edge of the river. When I looked back to see where she was, I saw that she had not only made a nest of blankets and pillows in the bed of the truck but was already laying there reading.

"You comfortable, Tem?" I chuckled and climbed up next to her. I grabbed her book from her and held it out of her reach. "Hey, bookworm, take a break from school for the weekend and enjoy the peace and quiet."

"Hey!" She snapped as she tried to climb over me to retrieve it. I only held it farther out of reach. "Give that back! That's for a class!"

As she crawled over top of me to try reaching her book, the smell of her shampoo, lavender and orange, still faintly lingered in her braided hair. With one hand, I undid her braid and the other still held the book out of her reach. When she got off of me, I quickly threw the book in the cab of the truck and smiled.

"Seriously? You're messing with my hair now?" She laughed and started to rebrand her hair.

"No, no, no. Leave it." I pleaded. "I love it when you have it down."

Her expression changed from that of being playful to that of shock. "W-what?" She stammered. Her hands dropped into her lap and she just stared at me.

"I like it when you wear your hair down." I repeated then unbraided the part that she'd already started. "You look totally different when you wear it down."

"I—I do?"

As I helped her with her braid, we were barely inches apart. The smell of lavender and oranges was now mixed with the smell of vanilla coming from her lips. "Yeah. And don't worry, it's a 'good' kinda different."

The look in her eyes was why I did it. The look of sweet innocence combined with longing was the only push I needed. Her lips tasted like a vanilla milkshake and her skin felt like silk. Everything I'd ever felt for her was finally surfacing. After nearly 7 years of friendship, I'd worked up the courage to love her the way that she deserved.

When I broke away, I could see the tears welling in her eyes. I'd made a mistake. I'd just ruined the best thing I had going. "Artemis I—" I couldn't even find the words to say in this situation. Everything I thought about saying sounded stupid but if I didn't say anything, would it make it worse?

She just looked at me with tears in her eyes. After a moment, she spoke so softly that I almost missed what she said. "It only took you forever."

"Yeah," I said back in the same soft tone. "I guess it did."

"Is it too early to say or—"

"No, I—I don't think so."

"Then, FP Jones," She gave a faint smile and wiped the tears from her face. "I love you."

"I love you too, Artemis Ivers." I replied pushing her hair back over her shoulder and resting my hand on the back of her head. I pulled her in for another kiss.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I wrapped mine around her waist. I took her jacket off of her and laid it down on the blankets beside us then ran my hands up her back underneath her shirt. Promptly, she stopped and grabbed my arms. Her eyes, illuminated by the light of the fire, showed a hint of fear which made me immediately stop.

"Do you not…" I trailed off for fear of sounding stupid again.

She shook her head. "My terms."

With a quick kiss and a loving smile, I said, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

There wasn't much else said between us after she took off her shirt and combat boots. I hastened to remove my shoes and throw them next to hers on the ground beside the truck as she took off my shirt. She ran her hands up my bare back, her fingers slender and soft, and I held her tightly kissing her neck. I laid her down on her back and kissed down her torso. When I reached the waistband of her jeans, I unbuttoned them and slowly slid them off.

On her right hip, I saw it, the emerald green snake tattoo that I knew all too well. Seeing it on her body wasn't angering, it was disappointing. She had so much going for her but yet, here she was, a member of the South Side Serpents, an affiliation that would tarnish her name for life.

"What is this?" I asked, my voice hollow.

She sat up and the look of shame in her face was only exacerbated by the light of the unattended fire. "Jones, I—" When she saw that I was disappointed, she hung her head and looked away.

"Temi, why would you do this?" I gently turned her face back towards me and looked her in the eyes. "Artemis, you have /so much/ going for you. Why would you risk losing it all like this?"

She tried to look away again, but I followed her gaze. "It was a rough summer, Jones, really rough. You remember the Atwoods? My last foster family?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I was meaning to ask why you were somewhere new. Did something happen?"

"They were planning to adopt me but…" She trailed off.

I didn't want to push her to tell me, but I knew that she was trying to. "'But' what, Tem?"

"But Mrs Atwood got really sick, cancer sick, and the state had to call off the adoption and send me somewhere else. She didn't want to. She fought to keep me but…it didn't work. The state came in while they were at the hospital and moved me to this new place over on Deering Street where I am now."

"Oh god, I'm so sorry Temi." Was all I could manage to say. I was starting to feel even worse about not being around over the summer.

"For the first couple of weeks, I'd run off like I usually did the first time I was in a new home. Then I started hanging out on the South Side more and more. I made some friends, got mixed up in some parties. It didn't take long for me to realise that this was the way my life was gonna go. I'd constantly be tossed from foster home to foster home until I turned 18 then I'd be kicked out of the system and have to find my own way in the world. I didn't want to be alone. I needed some form of security and…it was just…there." The fear in her eyes as she talked about her possible future was chilling. I'd never seen her so afraid.

I reached out and pulled her close never wanting to let her go. "Artemis, you will _never _be alone. No matter what, I'll _always_ be here for you. We could drift apart and move to different parts of the country but if you called me, I'd be there for you in an instant. You could show up back here in 20 years or even 30 years and I would drop everything for you."

Without warning, she kissed me and pressed her body against mine. Her kisses were salty from her tears and her skin warm and soft. And as quick as she was to embrace me, she stopped and looked me in the eyes. When I looked back, her eyes reflected the bonfire but that wasn't the only fire I could see.

"Forsythe Pendleton Jones II" She started, and it worried me. I don't think I've ever heard her use my full name. "I fucking love you."

"The one and only Artemis Naomi Ivers, I fucking love you too."

That night, there wasn't a care in the world. The only thing that we felt was love. We had no one to impress, no one to worry about, and no one to tell us what to do. We were completely free for the first time in a long time. And the next morning, when I woke up to see Artemis sleeping with one hand on her bare chest and the other propped up on the side of the truck bed, I couldn't help but smile and think about how lucky I was to have her in my life.

* * *

When I woke up in that suite in the Five Seasons, many years later, I felt the same way. The circumstances were drastically different, but we were still here. There she was now, her hair shorter and lighter, her body and spirit broken. She slept so peacefully with one hand resting gently on her chest and the other falling off the side of the bed. Some things never changed especially not with someone like Artemis Ivers.


	7. Chapter 6: Come In, Stranger

"Are you sure that you don't want to file charges, Tem?" FP said to me as I stood in front of the mirror messing with my hair. "What about a Personal Protection Order at the very least?"

I tried to push my hair over to one side, but it just flopped back over and was divided down the centre by my widow's peak. I made a disgruntled face in the mirror and gave a heavy sigh. "I…I don't know." I said and turned around to grab my Fox Racing sweatshirt with my number '11' on the back of it off of a chair. That wasn't something that I really wanted to address. "I do, however, know that I'm hungry, need a haircut, and have to go shopping."

Before I even had a chance to put my sweatshirt on, FP grabbed it from me. He threw it on the bed. "Close your eyes." He smiled.

"I do /not/ trust you." I chuckled and shook my head.

"Just do it. I'm not gonna do anything bad, I swear."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The room was silent except for the slight rustling sound from beside the bed where I knew FP to be standing. That stopped and I could feel his footsteps through the floor as he walked around me. He touched my right arm gently and guided it through a silky sleeve. He did the same with the left then I felt his footsteps walk back around me.

The sleeves were slightly too long and the fit, in general, was a size too big. The heavy jacket that he put on me smelled familiar: aged leather, whiskey, and him. Before I even opened my eyes, I knew what he had given me and I wasn't sure how I felt about such a gift.

"Go ahead. Open your eyes." He said. I could hear the hint of a smile in his voice.

When I opened my eyes, I saw myself wearing his jacket. The worn, black leather made my olive skin look warmer and brighter. "Jones, I—"

"Keep it." He interrupted. "It's yours now. I have no use for it anymore and you don't have one. You deserve it."

I took the jacket off and held it out to him. "No. No, I can't. It's yours and I most definitely do _not_ deserve it." I couldn't look him in the eye. I was too embarrassed. It wasn't his fault though. He didn't know. How could he? He never would've seen the current state of it.

He didn't take the jacket, so I set it down on the chair next to me. "You wouldn't understand. I'm not a Serpent anymore. I haven't been for years. I had that taken away from me too."

He stepped in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders. I couldn't look up at him. "Artemis," He said softly. "You need to tell me what else is going on. If there's something that happened, something that he did to you, made you do, or whatever, I'm not gonna think any less of you and you _know_ that. You're my best friend and I made a promise to you that I'd always be here and I am. I may not have been when you needed me the most but I'm here _now_ so you need to talk to me. You can't leave me in the dark. I'm in a position where I can help you. Let me."

The tears burned my eyes. All of this crying was starting to get really annoying but it was the only response that I could elicit especially when all of my emotions were running so high. "You don't understand. Drew took /everything/ from me."

"_What_ did he take, Temi? What _exactly_?"

I pulled away from him and went over to the window where the morning sun was shining through. I could feel the worry radiating off of FP as he just watched me. "I mean _everything_. My freedom, my job, my friends, the Serpents, hockey, motocross, music. _Everything that I ever loved_." I didn't want to have to explain everything over and over again. I just wanted it to go away and go away for good. Reliving it all wasn't just painful, it was angering and embarrassing because I should never have been in a situation like that in the first place. I felt like everything that was happening was my fault and that now nobody was ever going to love me or want me around because I was so broken. He was telling me the exact opposite though. It was all so confusing!

With angry tears in my eyes, I looked up at him for the first time and spoke through gritted teeth as I tried not to cry harder. "In a way…he even took you from me…"

"Temi—" He had no words and I could see it in his eyes. He was angry, sad, disappointed but not with me, with himself.

"You wanna know what else he took from me?!" I snapped starting to get even more mad at him. How _dare_ he look at me like that. How _dare_ he try to love me! It was infuriating. Broken things don't deserve love.

"You really wanna know?!" With one hand I pulled up the hem of my t-shirt on my right side and with the other I pulled down the top of my skinny jeans. There, on my hip, where my tattoo should have been, was a heavily faded, barely recognisable double-headed serpent in the shape of an 'S'. "This is what he did to me! He even went so far as to take my tattoo!"

The horror in FP's face was unmistakeable. The fact that I ever had that on me never sat well with him but for someone to do _this_ was even worse. It was a display of absolute power and control. He took a step towards me, but I grabbed his jacket off of the chair and threw it at him.

"Get away!" I shouted. "Just get away from me and leave! I don't even know why you're still here!"

"No." He said starkly. "I'm not leaving you, Artemis. Not now, not ever." He tried to approach me again. When he reached for me, I started to walk away but he grabbed my wrist.

"Get off!" I screamed. My mind was overwhelmed with so many thoughts and feelings and he was just adding more fuel to the fire. The way he looked at me, the way he talked to me, the way he protected me, _his love_, it was all too much for me to handle.

His grip on me wasn't very tight and I was able to break it easily. When I did, I pushed him away. He stumbled backwards a few steps but still didn't leave. Was there anything that I could do to make him leave? Anything at all that would cause him to forget about me and let me run away? No. No, I knew that there wasn't. He was just as stubborn as I was and that's why we were friends. We were the same person deep down.

"I'm not leaving you." He said again.

I turned away from him and screamed. "Why?! Why do you do this to me?! I'm not worth the effort! I'm broken! Broken things like me don't deserve to be fixed. They don't deserve love!"

He wasn't going to dignify my self-loathing statements with any sort of response. He knew that I was having an emotional crisis and that by doing anything, even just saying one word, it would make things worse.

Turning back around, I looked him dead in the eye, my face flushed with anger and tears streaming down my face. "Why do you love me? I'm broken, Forsythe. I'm broken beyond repair, yet you stand here and love me. How?"

"Because," He took a tentative step towards me and when I didn't react, took a few more. Almost instantly, it felt, he was right in front of me, taking my hands in his. "You need someone to remind you that you're not alone. You're not fighting this war by yourself. You have people who will stand by you through everything."

My knees buckled and I hit the floor. It was all too much for me to handle. What he was saying made sense but didn't at the same time. I _wanted_ to believe that I wasn't alone but…I felt like I was.

FP knelt down beside me and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. He just let me cry into his shoulder and when my tears had all run dry, he spoke softly. "It's going to be okay, Temi. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, not ever again."

I just sat there, his shirt in my fists and my head on his chest. My breath shook as I tried to find the words to say something back but that was impossible when my brain felt like it was on fire. So, I just sat there in his arms shaking violently.

"Artemis look at me. Come on, look at me." He whispered pulling me off of his chest. He put a gentle hand on the side of my face and lifted my head so that I was looking into his eyes. "You know that I'm going to protect you right? Do you trust me?"

I nodded. "With my life. I always have."

The genuine, gentle smile on his face made me smile back weakly. Ever since my arrival in Riverdale at the age of 10, he was there. He was there when we started high school. He was there when I went to the hospital after a particularly nasty fall that I took during a motocross race. He was there for almost every high school men's hockey game that I played in. Every aspect of my life in Riverdale involved FP Jones.

"Good. There's one other thing that I've been meaning to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked with a sniffle.

He smiled a soft, gentle smile and pushed my hair to one side. This time it stayed in place. "The one and only Artemis Naomi Ivers, I love you."

"Forsythe Pendleton Jones II," I gently touched his face and returned his loving smile. "I love you too."


	8. Chapter 7: Fair Weather Friend

"Daddy," I knocked on the door of Suite 139 at the Five Seasons. "It's me. You gonna open the door or am I just gonna sit here all day like an idiot?"

There was the sound of the deadbolt disengaging and the jingling of the chain lock being removed. When the door opened, my dad was standing there. He stepped to the side so that I could get my wheelchair through the door then proceeded to lock the door again. He hadn't told me what was going on so in the moment, I thought it was a bit overkill.

A woman, the woman from the other night at Pop's, stood quietly in the doorway to the bedroom. Her eyes were red, and her hair fell into her face. On her shoulders, she wore a black leather jacket, one that I had seen almost every day of my life. She was slender, a little on the shorter side but, who was I to determine someone's height? Everyone is tall to me.

"Artemis, I want you to meet my eldest daughter, TJ." My father said putting an arm around his friend who gave me a small, shy wave. "And TJ, this is Artemis."

"Hey." I smiled. "You can call me TJ or Tarot. Honestly, it's a 50/50 mix. People call me both. Some…well, they have their own names for me."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Artemis held out her hand which I took in mine. "FP's told me a bit about you. You're a drummer, right?"

I shrugged my shoulders and gave a half-smile. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. It's not like I play in a band or anything. It's more of a hobby."

"Either way, you're still a musician."

"A fantastic musician." Dad chimed in. "You gotta give yourself credit where credit is due, kid."

With a shake of my head, I replied, "Fine, fine. You win. Now, why did you call me here because it sure wasn't to brag about me."

"I've gotta go talk to Mary and Sierra about drafting a petition for a PPO for Temi. Also, about charging documents. And," He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I have to formally file charges. I don't think I realised how much paperwork this was actually going to be…"

"Wait, hold up." I held up a hand as I tried to gather my thoughts. "What are you talking about? 'Charges'? 'Personal protective orders'? Care to explain what's going on?"

"It's a really long story but, I need you to stay here and make sure that she stays safe." My father put a hand on my shoulder as if to emphasise the task he's giving me. He then walked over to Artemis whom he hugged, holding her in his arms. "I'll be back, I promise. Just stay here with TJ and call me if you need anything. I'll drop everything and be right there with just one call." She nodded and he made his way to the door.

"FP," She said before he shut the door. "_Ani ohevet otkha_."

"I didn't forget what that means." I just saw him smile. "I do too." And with that, he shut the door and was gone.

I looked up at Artemis who was still staring at the door with the traces of a smile on her face. The way she looked at my father and the way he looked at her, it was something that I'd never seen before. It made me happy to know that there was someone in his life besides us kids, who made him smile.

"Was that Hebrew?" I asked. "What did you say?" It wasn't like I needed to ask the second question because I was able to tell it was along the lines of 'I love you,' just by the way she said it and the way that he responded.

She smiled and looked down at me in my chair. "Yes, I speak Hebrew and Yiddish fluently. I was taught from a young age."

"So," I trailed. "You're Jewish?"

"Only all my life."

"That's really cool that you were taught Hebrew _and _Yiddish. The only other language that I know is French and I'm not even very good at it. I'm barely passing."

She chuckled and sat down in an armchair. "Is Madame Lawrence still teaching French at Riverdale?"

"Yes!" I replied with enthusiasm. "She's _still_ teaching! I'm not sure how she's still alive! She looks _ancient_!"

"She was that way when I was taking French! God, how is that woman still allowed to teach? She's gotta be at least 90."

I started to laugh, and Artemis followed suit. "And she does this thing with her glasses—"

"Does she still put them on top of her head and 'lose' them?!"

"Yes! It drives me crazy! Like, how do you not know they're there?! Seriously, she's senile!"

"She always been that way, don't worry."

"Oh no, that makes me worry even more!"

We laughed until we couldn't laugh anymore. It was like I'd known this woman for so long. She was so easy to talk to and be around. I'm not sure what it was about her that made me feel that way. Maybe it was her smile, it could light up a room. Or maybe her laugh, it was gentle and warm. Who knows but, from then on, I knew that this was a friendship that would last.

"Hey, you hungry?" I asked as I wiped a tear from my eye that had formed from laughing so hard.

"I'm starving, honestly. I haven't eaten in a while."

"Wanna head to Pop's? Some comfort food'll do ya good." I jangled my car keys and smirked. "Only if you're comfortable with it though. I'm not sure why my dad's got you all locked up I this room but—"

"No, I'm more hungry than I am worried about going out."

"Then let's go get lunch before we both die from starvation!" I said dropping my keys into my lap and making my way to the door.

* * *

We sat in that booth at Pop's for hours. We talked about life, who we are, where we come from, and the biggest events in our lives. I learned that her name is Artemis Naomi Ivers but her Hebrew name, the name she was given and uses in aspects of Jewish life, was Naomi Shoshana bat-Avigdor. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and her mother passed away when she was only a few months old. Her father took care of her for ten years until he passed away as well. That's when she was placed into the foster care system and they moved her to Riverdale where a family was going to adopt her. That adoption fell through and another family fostered her.

When she graduated high school, Artemis went to West Virginia University where she started a major in nursing but, after two years, decided to switch to forensic and investigative science. She went so far as to get a PhD in the subject and moved to Colorado Springs where she was offered a job with their police department. Not long after being there, she met a man and got married.

"Wait," I stopped her. "But you're not wearing a wedding ring."

She looked down then moved her gaze out the window and rubbed her left ring finger where her wedding ring should be. There was a pain in her eyes that I'd never seen before in anyone. I hit a fresh wound and I knew it.

"Hey, look," I tried to get her attention again. "I'm sorry if I touched a nerve. I didn't mean—"

"My husband beats me." She said unblinkingly. "For 5 years, my husband has beaten me and the other day, I ran. I'd had enough."

"Oh my god, I…I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"That's why I'm in that hotel room. That's why your dad's been with me. It's why I passed out in the parking lot. I ran away from my husband and he's going to show up here in Riverdale any day."

We sat there in silence for a minute then I promptly grabbed my crutches and stood up. "I wanna show you something. No one other than people from here know about this place so if anything happens, come here. You'll be safe."

Artemis looked at me with confusion. "What are you—"

"Just follow me. Come on." I walked to the counter then instead of turning right to leave the diner, I turned left towards what looked like a closet and opened a door behind which, stairs descended.

There was a very 1920's vibe once walked down the stairs and entered La Bonne Nuit, the speakeasy run by Veronica Lodge. The lighting was dim and ambient and the decor very cabaret. The bar was set to the left of the stairs and the stage right across. There were tables and chairs with tea lights, a microphone set up on stage with an emerald green drum kit in the back, and a man stood behind the bar.

"TJ?" He asked.

"Sweet Pea!" I made my way over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck letting my crutches fall to the floor.

He kissed me and set me on the bar. "What are you doing down here? I thought you weren't gonna rehearse until the weekend."

"Yeah, well, plans change, don't they?" I teased as he handed me my crutches and helped me off the bar. "By the way, Pea, this is Artemis. Artemis, this is my boyfriend, Sweet Pea."

She walked over and held out a hand. "Pleasure."

Sweet Pea took her hand and smiled. "TJ told me that one of her dad's friends was in town but she never said who. I've heard of you. You're the one they call 'The Siren Song' right?"

She rubbed the back of her neck and looked away. "Yeah… That was me. That was a long time ago though. I'm not the same person I was then."

I hit Sweet Pea in the ribs and raised an eyebrow. He just looked at me innocently like he always did and shrugged. Sometimes I wondered why I was with an idiot like him but then I'd always remember that it was because he was there for me when I needed someone. It was kind of like how Dad was with Artemis, always there no matter what was going on.

Sweet Pea had taken me in when I refused to stay in the same house as my mother. I had a bad feeling that she was up to no good when she decided to come back to Riverdale all of the sudden and sure enough, I was right. She was back to make a power play and I refused to be a part of it. He was there for me when I first started school at Southside High after my father was sent to prison. Sweet Pea was there.

"Are those Martins?" Artemis asked as she walked over to a stand of guitars sat near the stage.

"Yeah." I said and walked over to her. "Go ahead."

"No, I— I couldn't." She stammered and backed away.

"I saw the guitar case in your hotel room. I know you play. Now, go ahead, pick one, hook it up, and play." I encouraged.

I watched as she examined all four of the guitars sitting in the stand, two acoustic/electric, one a hollow body electric, and the other one a solid body electric. She went for the mahogany acoustic/electric with a single-cutaway. It fit in her hands perfectly and when she sat down on a stool and set the instrument across her knee, it looked like it melted seamlessly into her silhouette. After turning and a few warmup chords, she began to play "Shelter from the Storm" by Bob Dylan.

"Hold on, hold on, hold on!" I stopped her then turned to Sweet Pea. "Hey, Pea, can you go grab my bodhrán from backstage for me please?"

He ran to the back and brought back a round, black case a little smaller than a snare drum. When he opened the case, inside was a small, emerald green, wooden drum with a goatskin head and a snakewood stick. I sat down in a chair near Artemis and put my crutches on the floor beside me. With the drum rested on my kilted knee, I made sure that it was in tune then looked over at Artemis and nodded. She began to play.


End file.
